


Better

by HeyGoodLookin



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, The L Word - Freeform, Who needs sleep, because they're always there for each other, beware the angst, but also so much fluff, it's Too Real, super cliche but hey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 16:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15586203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeyGoodLookin/pseuds/HeyGoodLookin
Summary: Hopper brings Mike back to the cabin after a horrible fight with his parents.El decides to make things better.EXTREME FLUFF.You have been warned.





	Better

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure about this one.  
> I've been working at it for a while but it just hasn't been sitting right...  
> That being said, I've finally decided to share it because we all deserve some fluff.

“Why don’t you love each other anymore?”

The Wheeler family stared at the youngest child in disbelief. 

Holly, in turn, kept her head bowed and eyes fixed down at her plate. “You’re always yelling,” she mumbled quietly. 

“Your mother’s just blowing things out of proportion again,” Ted said with a deep sigh.

Karen glared over at her husband. “Don’t you start that again,” she snapped. “If you every paid any attention you’d know that—“

“Stop!” Mike hollered, noticing a tear fall down Holly’s face. “Would you both just shut up for a second?” 

Silence.

Mike felt his heart stop beating for a moment. 

The air was too thick. 

A teary eyed Karen stared up from her dinner plate and sniffed. “Mike, honey, why don’t you take Holly off to bed?”

“What?” Mike couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Christ, his five year old sister understood things better than his parents did. 

“You heard your mother,” Ted mumbled, standing up from the table. 

“Where are you going?” Karen wiped her eyes with her napkin. 

Ted didn’t look at his family. “Need some air.”

“Need some air…” Mike repeated under his breath. He tried to take slow and low breaths like Hopper had showed him. He tried to organize his thoughts and steady his nerves but nothing worked. Holly’s crying had tipped him over the edge. “She’s fucking _five years old!”_ he shouted, slamming his fork down on the table. “Holly’s _five_ and she gets it. She understands that there’s something seriously wrong with the way you two are trying to function. She _crying_ because she knows her parents don’t love each other anymore. I’m fourteen and it sucks. Imagine what this must feel like for her? At five! When you’re supposed to feel loved and supported and comforted! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m not the one having an affair!” Ted shouted across the table. 

Mike’s face drained of what little colour it had and his eyes widened in shock. _An affair?_ His mind spun. _My mom’s having an affair with someone?_ But before he could continue thinking about the situation any further, his mother’s voice cut through his thoughts. 

“When was the last time you _ever_ showed me rudimentary affection, Ted? Five years ago after the fourth of July BBQ, that’s when. Five years ago!” Karen grasped her glass of wine with a shaking hand. 

“That’s no excuse for you to go—“

“Jesus Christ, shut up!” Mike yelled, interrupting his father again.

Ted sighed again, and stood up to leave the table. “Language, Michael.”

“ _Language_ ,” Mike imitated his father, rolling his eyes. “Is that all you ever say?” 

“This is a lot more complicated than you realize, honey,” Karen finished her glass of wine. 

Mike snorted. “Is it?” he walked over to where Holly sat. “I don’t think it’s too fucking complicated. You make it work. Go through counselling or something. Or if you can’t, at least have the decency to hide it from you five-year-old daughter who, just in case you didn’t know, has trouble sleeping at night because she hears you fighting. If you can’t work on a good marriage, at least work on being good parents. Because right now, you’re doing a really shitty job.” 

Mike wiped his own eyes angrily and helped Holly up from her seat. 

“And where do you think you’re going?” Karen looked up at her weary son. 

“Out. Away. I don’t know,” Mike took a deep breath. “And I’m taking Holly with me.”

“No you’re—“

_ding!_

Karen practically dropped her wine glass when the doorbell rang. 

_ding ding ding!_

“Who would that be? Michael, I said none of your friends could come over today.”

“I didn’t invite anyone,” Mike rolled his eyes again as he made his way over to the front door, Holly staying close behind him. Figuring it was one of Mike’s friends, Karen remind seated while Ted took the opportunity to sneak out the back door. 

Mike wiped his eyes again and opened the door with slight hesitation. 

“Chief?” the boy’s eyes widened. 

“Hey kid,” Hopper looked down at Mike sympathetically. 

“What’re you doing here?” Mike stared up at the chief for a moment before he came to a realization. “El,” he whispered. “She knew?”

“She figured something was up so she sent me to come check up on you.” 

“Did she…?” Mike wasn’t sure how to phrase what he was asking. “Did she watch me?”

“She saw bits and pieces,” the chief clarified carefully. “Enough to yell at me to do something about it. It was all I could do to make her stay in the cabin.” 

“Right,” Mike mumbled, not thrilled about the idea that El had seen that particular snapshot of his life. 

Hopper looked down at a sniffling Holly and rubbed his face with his hands. Christ, the Wheelers really were a mess. “You’re gonna stay with us tonight. Both of you.” 

“I don’t know if—“

“It wasn’t a question, kid. I insist.” Now it was Hopper’s turn to interrupt Mike. 

Mike stared up at the chief and smiled weakly. “You mean it?”

“Of course I mean it,” Hopper said firmly. “Besides, El misses you.” 

“I miss her too,” Mike said in a small voice. Realistically, he missed her all the time. Sometimes even when he was with her. 

Mike was about to walk out the door with Holly in tow when Karen approached them. 

“What’s going on here?” She made to reach for Holly’s hand. 

“We’re leaving,” Mike answered, eyes stinging again as a fresh batch of tears threatened to spill over. 

“They’re coming with me,” Hopper said in such a way that there was no room for negotiation. 

“They’re my children!” Mrs. Wheeler retorted. 

“And you’re doing a really shitty job raising them!” Hopper raised his voice. “I’ll bring them back tomorrow morning when they’ve calmed down. Your husband around?”

Karen looked back at an empty house. “He left.” 

“I’ll deal with him at a later date then,” the chief assured Mike, putting a firm hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go.” 

And with that, the police chief lead both children to the Blazer. 

Once they had settled, Hopper turned around to look at Holly. “You had any supper, kiddo?”

Holly shook her head. 

“We didn’t really eat much,” Mike clarified Holly’s gesture. 

“Okay,” Hopper started the car. “Then what do you say we pick up a couple frozen pizzas and Eggos along the way?” 

“And ice cream?” Holly asked, excitement building. 

“Sure,” Hopper grinned in spite of himself. “Why the hell not. A bucket of chocolate ice cream.” 

It was past seven when Mike and Holly found themselves following Hopper through the woods. The cabin had only just become visible when Mike heard an all too familiar voice. 

“Mike!” 

A rustle of leaves and frantic running.

“ _Mike!”_ El practically threw her boyfriend to the ground as they collided in an all encompassing hug. 

“El,” Mike breathed, relief rushing through him. 

“Are you okay?” El buried her head into the crook of his neck and sighed. 

Mike felt his body finally relax as El’s hand rubbed circles around his back. “I’m okay,” he replied quietly. 

“I told you not to leave the cabin,” Hopper gave his daughter a kind of warning glance. 

“Not stupid,” El said firmly, finally releasing Mike. “I didn’t go far.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Hopper pinched the bridge of his nose as Mike and El took Holly by the hands and lead her into the cabin. 

They sat in relative silence as they watched The Sward in the Stone and ate their pizza. 

They chuckled at a few of the gags and, when Hopper noticed Holly nodding off, they got up from the sofa. 

“I’ll take her to bed,” Mike said, a slight yawn escaping him. 

“She can sleep in my room,” El added. “We can stay out here.” 

Hopper snorted at this. “You’re not both sleeping on the couch. Not on my watch.”

“ _Dad,”_ El gave the chief a pointed look. “Just this once. No funny business.” 

Hopper looked down at the way Mike held his sister close to his body. The kid deserved a break. “Fine,” he muttered in defeat as El beamed. “Just this once.” 

“Thank you!” El cried excitedly before flinching at her volume. She didn’t want to wake Holly. 

“Okay, Holly-bell. Let’s get you to bed,” Mike whispered as he carried his sister over to El’s room and lay her down amongst the fleece blankets and pillows. Holly mumbled something incoherent as her brother tucked her in but stayed asleep. “You’re okay, Holly-bell. You’re so smart. And brave.” 

“And pretty,” El added with a small smile. “And you have the best brother ever.” 

Mike blushed at El’s words. “I wouldn’t say that. I—“ his voice caught in his throat as the reality of the situation hit him again. “I can’t help her. She— she deserves parents who love her and care about her. Not parents who scream at each other every night.” 

El took her time processing Mike’s words and frowned. “So do you.”

Mike kept his eyes on El as they walked back to the couch. “What do you mean?”

“So do you,” El tried again. “Deserve better parents.” 

“I’ll be okay,” Mike felt a hot tear escape his eye. “It’s Holly I’m worried about. ‘Cause she’s so young. Me— I’m fourteen— I can deal with this shit. Holly’s only five. She shouldn’t have to run away from her own family.” 

“Neither should you,” El replied softly as they heard Hopper grumble something about their relationship. “Hopper really likes you,” El clarified, quite sure of herself. “His bite is just worse than his…bark?” 

“His bark is worse than his bite,” Mike corrected her with a small grin. 

El smiled back. “His bark is worse than his bite.”

“That’s it.” 

“Mike?”

“Yeah?” the boy watched as Hopper closed the door to his room but left it open a crack. He half expected the chief to cast him another warning glance, but it didn’t come. Instead, Hopper stuck his head out one last time and smiled genuinely. The kids were happy. And really, that’s all he ever wanted. 

“Why did Holly say your parents don’t love each other anymore?” 

Mike watched as El lay down on the couch in such a way that suggested he join her. “Because,” he sighed, his emotions getting the better of him again. “It’s true. My parents don’t love each other anymore.” 

“People can fall out of love?” El didn’t like the sound of her own words. 

“Sometimes,” Mike lay down carefully beside her. “I don’t really understand it either, El. I wish I did. I mean, my mom’s having an affair so obviously she doesn’t love my dad anymore. And sometimes I don’t even think my dad loves me at all.”

El shifted so Mike lay partially under her and she could rest her head on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat. It matched her own. 

And then she couldn’t take it anymore. They’d been dancing around the words for so long— practically all summer— but now it seemed right. It seemed perfect. The way Mike’s arms wrapped around El, so all encompassing and protecting, making her feel happy and safe. The way he let her brush away the last of his tears with a feather light touch of her hand. She had to say it.

“I love you, Mike.” 

Mike flushed deep red, completely overcome. El loved him. _Him._ Nerdy Wheeler with the science fair prizes. El, the most beautiful and incredible girl he’d every met or known, loved him. 

El took Mike’s silence as a bad thing and raised her head so she could look at him. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled quickly, “I shouldn’t have—“

“I love you too,” Mike breathed before El could continue. 

For a moment, El couldn’t breath. It was too much. Mike loved her. 

“You do?” 

“Of course I do,” Mike couldn’t believe she was shocked. Of course he loved her. He loved her ever since she came back to him that fall evening so many months ago. 

“I’ll try and make it better,” El murmured, face inching close to Mike’s. 

“I love you so much, El,” Mike could hardly get the words out before El pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

“Better?” 

Mike flushed deep red. “So much better.” 

“I love you, Mike. And I’ll never fall out of love with you. Ever.” 

“God El,” Mike began, completely overcome. She was so close, he could see the small flecks of gold in her hazel eyes. “You’re the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

“Ditto,” El beamed as Mike’s face radiated joy. Slowly, their lips met in a soft kiss, Mike’s hand weaving it’s way through El’s curly hair as she clutched the material of his T-shirt in her fists. 

The kiss lasted longer than any of their other kisses. Mike could smell the vanilla in El’s shampoo and El could taste root beer on Mike’s lips. They broke apart reluctantly, but in need of breath. 

“Better?” El looked into Mike’s eyes. 

“Perfect,” Mike whispered, breath fanning across El’s face. 

“Just a tiny bit of funny business.” 

Mike chuckled at El, wrapping his arms around her again. “Just a little.” 

 

**Author's Note:**

> DEATH BY FLUFF.  
> Any requests?  
> Any thoughts?  
> THANK U for reading !! xoxo


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